Houston Offense Takes Another Hit with Devastating Injury

So Greg Ward Jr. is taking over at quarterback and throwing passes for Houston.

That’s fine, but who is going to catch the ball?

Two days after coach Tony Levine named Ward, a converted receiver, the starting quarterback, the Cougars lost No. 1 wide receiver Daniel Spencer to a season-ending injury. Spencer tore his ACL during a non-contact drill in Tuesday’s practice.

Let’s not understate Spencer’s importance to an offense that has been struggling and sputtering all season. Spencer was the team leader in receptions and touchdowns, and second on the team in receiving yards. And, oh yeah, he was on the receiving end of the only memorable Houston highlight of the season, the Hail Mary to end the first half against BYU.

After practice Tuesday, Levine told reporters Spencer is “the heart and soul of our offense.” Levine went on to say, “He’s been a leader for us and he’ll certainly be missed.”

That’s an understatement considering the condition of the Cougars’ offense right now. Would-be super sophomore John O’Korn is now a second-stringer. The high-flying Houston offense has been grounded to the tune of 374 yards per game. That’s only good enough for 90th in the country and 7th (out of 11) in the American Athletic Conference. Houston is dead-last in the conference in scoring.

Now the Coogs are without their top two wide receivers.

If that isn’t bad enough, Houston is dealing with all of this while it prepares for a road game against Memphis. The Tigers are suddenly the talk-about story in the AAC after routing preseason conference darling Cincinnati 41-14 last week.

So what’s the answer? Run. Not away from Memphis, but right at them. The Cougars have been at their best at times this season with a ground and pound approach. Not only is Memphis a little suspect on defense, but Houston’s only shot against a Tigers’ offense that’s been moving the ball at will is try to control time of possession. Run between the tackles and maybe mix in a little trickery. Ward is a good athlete—let’s see what the Cougars can cook up to utilize his skills instead of letting him sit back in the pocket for 60 minutes.

I’m not suggesting the Memphis game is a make-or-break for the Cougars, but it is an opportunity to see how UH can deal with adversity and change. I think a win or a good fight against the Tigers may go a long way in improving the team’s psyche. A blowout loss could be the knockout blow in what has already been a disappointing season.